Ryon_Nayr@email.com

What is this? Flush toilets? showers in site?? When we go camping we have latrines and we have a shower building which is open-style and it seems okay. We do not have running water in our sites. We have a pump, but thankfully it isnt too deep only about 10 pumps till water comes. Unlike the camp we goto in the fall. at our site at the bottom of a steep hill we have a spring to get water from. At the top, it takes around 60 pumps to get the water even to start flowing.

My Troop has a policy that you cannot become Junior assistant Scoutmaster until you earn your eagle. There are only about 8 scouts that actively attend which is why it isnt total chaos without using patrols. I would just like to see\ be involved in things actually happening in meetings. That is what drives me crazy.

I was SPL for 2 years but I am no longer. It seems to me that lately at all the meeting absolutely nothing happens. The monthy themes ( including Merit badges, etc,) are being totally ignored. Everyone just sits, goofs off and talks all meeting. This begins at around 7 ( meeting are supposed to start then) then our SM tells the new SPL to start the meeting at around 7:15 and then it starts, but it goes back to goofing off and talking until game time comes around. None of the games are scout skill related. My main goals when I became SPL were to advance scouts and to have patrols.Neither of these things have continued These meeting seem like a waste of time to me. The only time stuff gets done is if adults remind them. Patrols are never used anymore. Is is very disapioting to me to see this happening. I am wondering how to go about bringing these issues up with out offending people especially since I am no longer in the PLC. This is really upsetting me. alot of new scouts are not staying on our troop and have dropped scouts, and it seems some of my biggest accomplishments as SPL have been un-done. Any ideas on how I may go about changing this situation?

Also, Many of the adults that assist with our troop JLTC also are involved with leading the Council one. I only tell them suggestions after things "fail". I ask them things like " ok, so what do we need to do" and things like that, to get them thinking and explain to them why this is important after asking them why they think it is. Although i dont neccessarily interupt activities to do these things.

What things should i consider in deciding whether to take the job of SPL again?

What is the purose of a new scout patrol? we have a small troop (9 active scouts) and we have 2 patrols and we have mixed the old and new scouts so the new scouts learn from the older. seems to work well...

One of the asm's in my troop took a "negative reinforcement approach" to teamwork and it didnt stick and he just made everyone angry. he would watch how things were going and everytime he saw someone not working as a team he would issue what he called a strike. 3 strikes equalled 1 out, witch meant that the troop was "grounded" for 15 min during free time when activites were open throughout camp. He then would police the site and count each piece of garbage he found as a strike. At one piont he was actually digging in the dirt under the table for crumbs. He annoyed me and several other troop members. Any ideas that would actually work?

I am thinking about how to conduct the yearly program planning. We have all younger scouts that have problem staying on task. they can barely make it though a 15 min PLC. any ideas to keep them involved and on task? I am thinking of first listing activities we want to see in our troop in the next year and voting on 12. then voting on 12 monthly themes. Then maybe deciding which ones are practical. then putting activities to dates. In the past the troop has never been able to stay on task and finish on 4 nights (90min each) and the SPL has planned the year. I dont want this. What about seeing how fast we are going and adding a saturday planinng session if needed?

only one patrol leader member of our 2 patrols and 6 scouts are Going to our weeklong summer camp. Is it fair to have that one patrol leader responsible for scouts not in his patrol?

I am SPL and i am fully responsible for camp setup. We usually just set up tents around the edges of camp, or in groups facing eachother by patrol

What are some activites I can do in my troop ( im SPL) to build scouting spirit. One thing that has been suggested by my SM is to have every1 involved and make a catapult and launch water ballons at him. Any others?

The problem with talking after lights out is that no matter how soft they talk, they will always be heared. Even in tents. I usually allow talking on the last night of a weeklong camp though, unless it i loud. The talking in cabins usually begins when a scout says they have to go to the latrine, or sum1 is shaking thier bad, etc. An adult in my troop has told me they have suffered and it is not their job to make them listen, it is mine. I asked him why he was there then.

In my troop, the last monday of every month me have a 15-25 min PLC. We disuss old business, the patrol leaders report on their patrols, we plan the next months mettings, and any events

I am SPL of my troop and our troop has problems being quiet and sleeping and everyone suffers. Any suggestions?

Our troop does a JLTC training campout every sprin. My ASPL was selected by me and he is the best one out of all of them. I have a game before mettings and and the end every night. The two patrol leaders cant stay focused either and i feel like I shouldnt have to constantly remind them what they should be doing